ALLIANCE — Rattling the quarterback who has never lost a college game requires some aggressive tactics, so John Carroll sent two defensive backs toward Mount Union’s Kevin Burke.
Marty Gibbons approached from the left side. Jared Donovan closed from the right side.
Burke saw the duo. He also saw Luc Meacham sprinting along the right sideline. Burke released the ball before getting crunched and hit Meacham for a 30-yard touchdown, giving Mount Union a 35-13 lead with 9:35 left in the third quarter of Saturday’s anticipated Ohio Athletic Conference matchup.
The play demonstrated the biggest problem No. 9 John Carroll faced in a 42-34 loss Saturday at No. 1 Mount Union. The Blue Streaks couldn’t slow Burke on third down until the deficit became too big to overcome.
Mount Union converted its first eight third-down attempts and opened a three-touchdown lead, a margin the Purple Raiders needed to capture their 22nd straight OAC title and 75th straight conference win.
John Carroll furiously closed, scoring 19 of the game’s final 26 points. The rally provided little solace for a program seeking its first OAC title since 1989.
“I’m very disappointed,” said Tom Arth, who lost his first game as John Carroll’s head coach. “We didn’t get it done. That’s the bottom line. We lost the football game.”
The loss puts John Carroll in a waiting mode. The Blue Streaks ended the regular season 9-1 overall and 8-1 in the OAC. They will learn their NCAA Division III playoff fate during a selection show at 6 p.m., Sunday. John Carroll hasn’t reached the postseason since 2002. Five at-large bids are available for the 32-team event.
At least one coach might not want to see the Blue Streaks in his bracket.
“They are an outstanding team,” Mount Union’s Vince Kehres said. “Well-coached, tremendous players. I have a lot of respect for them. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if we got matched up with them down the road.”
Kehres has never lost as a head coach as his team improved to 10-0 and received the OAC’s automatic NCAA bid. His quarterback also has never lost. Burke, who completed 21 of 35 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns, is 25-0 as a starter.
Burke and Meacham, who caught 10 passes for 175 yards, flourished in tough situations against a defense that allowed 33 points in its first nine games. Mount Union didn’t falter on third down until Donovan tipped a pass intended for Meacham with 5:10 left in the third quarter.
“They are a great defense,” Burke said. “I can’t say that enough. But we pointed out things that we thought we could get and execute well. We picked up pressures. They played a lot of man (coverage). They did a great job, but they didn’t do a good enough job to contain our receivers and prevent us from getting some big yards on plays.”
Mount Union was the first team to solve John Carroll’s defense on third down. Before Saturday, opponents were converting only 20 percent of their third-down attempts against John Carroll. In short, John Carroll had the nation’s best third-down defense.
“That’s why you can’t shoot yourself in the foot,” said John Carroll senior cornerback Randy Greenwood, who forced two fumbles. “It was nothing that they did that we didn’t prepare for. We just have to cover them.”
John Carroll thwarted Mount Union’s last five third-down attempts, which arranged an exhilarating ending. The Blue Streaks started a drive at their own 19 with 2:54 left. Less than two minutes later, they faced a third-and-4 from Mount Union’s 15.
On third down, Alex Kocheff broke up Mark Myers’ pass to Zach Strippy in the end zone. On fourth down, Myers’ pass bounced off Tommy Michals’ hands.
Statistically, John Carroll and Mount Union entered Saturday as the nation’s top defenses. But the teams combined for 1,100 offensive yards, with Mount Union holding a 555-545 advance. Myers completed 31 of 56 passes for 451 yards.
The offensive play — and a rare competitive game involving Mount Union, which has never lost to John Carroll at home — delighted a standing-room-only crowd of 8,104.
“It was a great game, a great matchup,” Kehres said. “Both teams left everything out of on the field. We were fortunate to come out with a win.”

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